Hello! About 5ish weeks ago, I had lots of apples, so I put the scraps in a jar with water (no sugar) to make vinegar. My husband moved the jars "out of the way" to shelf in our pantry that is no man's land. I just pulled down the jars, and both of them have a thick "mother" on the top.

No mold so far. Most recipes say to strain the fruit after a week or so, and to add sugar. Is my forgotten vinegar still good (smells fine to me) to bottle and use? And what can I do with this beautiful "mother"? Can I add it to the bottles? I plan on putting in some cloves & cinnamon when I bottle...